The ladies masters athletes from the SMTFA competing at the Flash Athletic Meet in Oct at the Bishan Stadium.

10/14/2014

When Hong Kong turns political

The students continue to protest for more democracy. They are back in
the streets with their tents. They are demanding for the stepping down
of the Chief Executive Leong Chunying. The residents of Hong Kong have
historically placed economic freedom and well being as top priority.
Political freedom has never been an issue. They never have much
political freedom or much say about how Hong Kong was run for 150 years.
Now there are thousands of students on the streets. How many of the
Hongkongers are with them? How many Hongkongers today think democracy
and political freedom are more important than economic freedom, the
freedom to work, economic enterprise and to live a good life of plenty?
Has there been a change in the mindset of the residents of Hong Kong?

Assuming that the Hongkongers today are with the students and want to
push for more political freedom, how far are they going to go? What
price are they prepared to pay? As the matters stand, the issue of
political freedom is small against the issue of national unity. Tibet,
Xinjiang and Taiwan are watching the development very carefully. They
cannot succeed as echoed by Leung Chunying. He knew Beijing’s stand. At
one extreme, Beijing would come down really hard on the students and
there will be bloodshed and loss of lives, and no progress in political
freedom. China cannot afford the save path as the Soviet Union.

With the Americans pulling the strings from behind, this is becoming a
bigger geostrategic struggle with the students becoming pawns of the
West and may go down in history as traitors to the nation. For the
students to pursue this path unyieldingly, it would be a lose-lose for
all.

The other assumption is that the conservative Hongkongers whose top
priority is to be left alone, at least for the next 50 years to grow
rich, would not go along with the students and their patience will snap
with time. They would not want the students to decide the future of Hong
Kong for them. They would not want their economic freedom to continue
to get rich be disrupted. They are as practical a people as the past Hongkongers. They came to Hong Kong to make money, to grow rich, to have
a good life, not to fight for democracy. And Hong Kong is giving them
that, for at least another 30 years. Why jeopardize this beautiful dream
and turn it into a nightmare by the students?

Would the pragmatic Hongkongers choose to take matters into their own
hands to disperse the students? Should it happen, Hong Kong will return
to its vibrant and free wheeling days, minus many hurt feelings and
casualties among the students. If the students are only a small force
with few supporters from the majority Hongkongers, they would be
scattered quite quickly. If their support is significant, it will be a
Hong Kong divided and there will be carnage on the streets.

The rise of a political Hongkong is a new force and will change the
landscape of the island. The chances of a political Hong Kong are
unlikely to be tolerated by Beijing and a heavy price will have to be
paid for so little a change that the students are demanding. Is it worth
it?

The Hongkongers will have to decide if they want to go for breaks with
the students with very slim chance of success. Or would they choose the
status quo and make hay while the sun shines and hoping that when the 50
years are up, there will be a freer new China that is more like Hong
Kong or a Hong Kong more like a new China, rich and prosperous, with
more democracy and freedom for the people of Hong Kong and China?

26 comments:

The mature Hongkongers and those that prefer peace and stability are now actively persuading the Naive Students to discontinue their protest.The Older Hongkongers are by and large happy with their livings.Worse come to worst, send the protesters into the villages in the Mainland for training liked it was done in the Past.

Actually, this is more than just fighting for political freedom. If you look deeper, not just the students, may people are unhappy. The things they are unhappy over are actually quite the same as in Singapore - large group of foreigners or immigrants coming in to snatch away those plump jobs, pushing up the housing prices that make it harder and harder for the younger generation of people to get a house after they leave school. The locals feel marginalized and their way of life threatened - just the same as is happening in Singapore.

The current system of HK government after 1997 handover means only puppets who are loyal to Beijing can run the place. The emphasis is loyalty and not competency. This means HK have to suffer for being ruled by the incapable but very highly paid ones - does this sound a bit similar as in Singapore? So, HK people are asking for a more accountable form of government, so they want to have a system where they can choose who they want to represent them and they want more capable people to help them solve their problems.

To dismiss this is as some kind of a sinister plot by the west or CIA to destabilize China is a too simplistic way of seeing things as this overlooks the underlying grievances that have been bottled up since 1997 till now.

Wake up, Cold War is over. The Obama administration is one of the timidest when comes to foreign affairs. Those people out on the streets are not that simple-minded as to let the ang mohs tell them what to do.

I have to disagree with this statement. The Cold War may be over, but the Americans are in a perpetual state of war for world domination. Look carefully and wherever there is war, the Americans are involved directly or covertly.

The American pivot to Asia is never about peace but war. It is only peaceful if they remain as the big brother and in control. They are fighting the Chinese and Russians in everything, in every corner for influence.

Everywhere the Americans go, it is like a gang of thugs signing military pacts or making countries to join their gang liek gangsters to, you are with them or against them.

The situation in HK in many ways are like Singapore. That I agree. They are fighting for their rights to determine their future. Unfortunately they are not a country but a small city in a big country.

Singapore is an independent state and we should be fighting for our rights to live well and not to let foreigners come here to take away our rice bowls. In HK's case, a major difference is that mainland Chinese and HKongers are all Chinese citizens, of one country.

We have all the right and right reasons to fight for our existence. But we gave up, we are not fighting.

The HKongers did not have the same right reasons for fighting except a promise to let them be what they are for the next 50 years. The Chinese need not offer them that and could tell them to go to UK or anywhere if they are not happy. That is the hard truth.

If they threaten the integrity of China, like Taiwan taking the independence road, it is war.

- do not blame the people lah. it is not the americans fault but those empires that control usofa. nowadays, usofa is controlled by jp, goldman, blackrock these days. its the systems that made the people.

Without much funfare China should arrest forthwith those treacherous traitors of the mother land, the ring leaders who sucked up to USA and the West via CIA , the treasonable separatists who are paid by CIA to destabilise and break up China in order to stop the peaceful development of China and all these scum heads should be quickly lined up against the wall before the firing squads and be despatched to hell quick as lightning. The students who are paid pawns of CIA and the treasonable ringleaders should also be arrested and shot without mercy. We cannot allow a few scumbags and traitors to destabilise and break up China. It is imperative that all Chinese where ever they are should support a very strong and powerful united China and not allow the West especially the Evil Empire, USA via its demonish arms CIA and Pentagon to play havoc with the unity of a peaceful harmonious China.

Read somewhere that the HK Government is setting up an investigating team to find out the well organised students got their finances from. I am sure the central government has alreadyhave all the information. Is it poassible the followings are involved:* the empire* the Japanese*Falangong* Dala Lama* Isil from Xijiang* Taiwanese who are descendant of Japanese, such Lee Teng Hui* Princelings of those who areinvestigated for corruption by the Central Government* PhilippinesAll the above have reasons to see a weak China. Of course, this is my opinion only.

For more than 150 years, the Chinese as a civilisation have suffered the most oppression in the hands of foreigners. They suffered all kinds of abuses and insults and lost all dignities as a people, all because the country was weak, with the Manchus only thinking of ruling over the Hans.

Many of the young Chinese today, especially the overseas Chinese, are ignorant of the fate of their forefathers and how they suffered oppression. Today they took it for granted that it is their right to be rich, to live well and to talk big. They must not forget that without a strong China standing up to the rest of the world, even the Pinoys will spit at them and shoot at them.

Do not take your status as equals among equals in the world for granted, that you deserved it and it is through your own ability and merit.

When China was weak, all the overseas Chinese around the world, particularly in SE Asia, were victims of racial genocides. Those in the Ppines, Indonesia and Malaysia should thank their lucky stars that they are alive today.

Do not think a weak China is good for you because you are a smart ass. You belong to a civilisation though of different nationality. See what would happen today if China again becomes the Sick Man of Asia and see if you will be respected and treated as an equal even among SE Asians. Your white friends will call you yellow all over and kick you as they like.

Go and read up the history of Chinese civilisation and understand that this is a very unforgiving world for the weak. You don't even want to be a Chinese if that day comes again.

Honkie students "just fighting for political freedom"? Seriously? HOW to have Protests for last 2 weeks WITHOUT political freedom?! THEY ARE ALREADY ENJOYING POLITICAL FREEDOM. BUT, HK Students DO NOT have the democratic rights to disrupt taxi drivers earnings and shopkeepers/others livelihoods. HK students are so blinded by misleading press reports they failed to know that they COULD NOT have been allowed to Protest like that under 103 years of British colonial slavery. The Chinese LIBERATED HK in 1997, ushering in Democracy. READ the following:

The happenings in the Ang Mo Kio Town Council are outrageous. I am not going to elaborate as the details are everywhere. The similarities be...

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